Device for drying hair and fingernails



Sept. 13, 1966 E. E. SUTTON 3,272,966

DEVICE FOR DRYING HAIR AND FINGERNAILS Filed June 20, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BY EARL E. SUTTON WJA' 7W ATTORNEYS E. E. SUTTON Sept. 13, 1966 DEVICE FOR DRYING HAIR AND FINGERNAILS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1963 INVENTOR.

EARL E. SUTTON ATTORNEYS United States Patent M 3,272,966 DEViCE FUR DRYING HAIR AND FINGERNAILS Earl E. Sutton, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to Dominion Electric Corporation, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 20, 1963, Ser. No. 289,363 3 Claims. (Cl. 219 s7o My invention relates to electric hair dryers.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved structure in an electric hair dryer.

Another object is the provision for incorporating an arrangement for drying the polish on fingernails in hairdrying apparatus.

Another object is the provision of a construction in the housing of a hair dryer which facilitates the by-passing or leakage of air from the dryer for drying polish on fingernails.

Another object is the provision of a device of the general character which is compact, sturdy and economical to fabricate.

Another object is the provision of a unique means for controlling the exit of air from a vent adapted for drying polish on fingernails.

Another object is the provision of a unique arrangement of a handle for the carrying of an electric hair dryer.

Another object is the provision of a novel anchoring arrangement for securing a handle strap to a hair dryer.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the outside of the preferred form of my improved hair dryer looking at one end thereof;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged plan view looking down on the dryer with the upper shell removed from the housing and with the motor and fan removed so as to show the arrangement of the structure of the lower shell;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the end of the lower shell adjacent the exit or vent for air to be used in fingernail drying;

FIGURE 5 is an upright sectional view through the end of the housing where the vent is located for fingernail drying, and is taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the same end of the housing and is taken through the line 66 of FIGURE 5.

My improved dryer has a housing having mating upper shell 10 and lower shell 11 which when assembled enclose an inner chamber. The shells 10 and 11 are preferably made of molded plastic or other appropriate material. The shells are assembled by screws extending through oppositely disposed studs in the shells.

As seen in FIGURE 2, there is integrally formed in the shell 11 a convolute or curved wall 12 disposed as illustrated. The outer end of the wall 12 in combination with a wall portion 12A form a passageway from the interior of the shell to an outlet 13. A screen 14 or other open mesh structture may be positioned at the outlet 13. The wall of the outlet 13 is formed so as to be adapted to be connected with a conduit, such as a flexible hose, extending to a hood or other device todistribute blown heated air to the head of the user.

Mounted upon the lower shell 11 is a metal supporting plate 18 disposed in a generally horizontal plane. Screws attached to studs formed in the lower shell 11 secure the plate 18 in position. The plate 18 in general divides the 3,272,965 Patented Sept. 13, 1966 interior chamber in the housing into an upper section and a lower section. Carried upon the plate 18 and positioned in the upper section is an electric motor 29 adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy throurgh appropriate leads. Carried by the plate 18 and positioned in the lower section is a rotary fan 34 mounted on a shaft extending from the motor 29, so that upon energization of the motor 29 the fan 34 is rotated. The fan 34 in cooperation with the convolute wall 12 in the lower section produces a stream of blown air to the outlet 13. Vents 28 in the upper shell 10 provide ingress for air to enter the housing from atmosphere. The plate 18 has a central opening 18C extending therethrough for permitting air in the upper section of the housing to flow downwardly through the plate 18 so as to come under the influence of the rotary fan 34 and thus to be blown in a stream around the lower section and out through the outlet 13.

A control handle 30 extends through an arcuate slot 33 in the upper shell 10 so as to permit a thermostatic control (not shown) within the housing to be operated by swinging the control handle 30 to diiferent positions in its arcuate path permitted by the slot 33. An arcuate indicia plate 32 is mounted on the housing adjacent the arcuate slot 33 so as to indicate various locations to guide movement of the handle 30, such as to positions Off, Cool, Warm, Medium, and Hot.

At one end of the housing there is a compartment formed by cooperative walls or partitions formed on the upper and lower shells. The compartment is composed of walls 16 and 17 and a portion of wall 12 extending upwardly from the lower shell 11. The wall 16 has a relatively high portion 16A and the wall 17 has a relatively high portion 17A which are stepped up from the remainder of the respective walls 16 and 17.

These walls 16 and 17 extend outwardly from the wall 12 toward the outer wall of the shell 11. A slot 15 is formed in the wall 12, as seen in FIGURES 2, 5 and 6, so as to permit some of the blown air from within the housing to be by-passed or leaked off from the main passageway leading to the outlet 13. This slot 15 is in the upper edge portion of the wall 12 and is bridged by the plate 18 extending over the top of the wall 12.

The upper shell 10 has a depending wall or partition 19 extending downwardly so as to meet the plate 18, as illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6. Joining the wall 19 and extending over to the outer wall of the shell Ill are end walls 20, as illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6. It is thus seen that at one end of the housing, there is formed a compartment by a portion of wall 12, a portion of plate 18, walls 16 and 17, wall 19, and end walls 20. Air by-passed or leaked from the main stream of blown air created in the housing enters the compartment through the small slot 15.

An exit or vent 23 is provided in the outer wall of the lower shell 11 at the junction with the upper shell 10 so as to permit blown air in the compartment to leave or be blown from the compartment. This vent 23 is a relatively long narrow slit and is arcuate to correspond with the shape of the lower shell 11 at this location. An arcuate shaped slideway 21 is formed adjacent the vent 23, this slideway 21 corresponding in shape with the contour of the shell 11 at the vent 23. An arcuate panel 22 of relatively long narrow dimensions is positioned within the housing adjacent the vent 23 and in a position to be guided by the slideway 21. The panel 22 is semi-rigid so as to maintain its shape and yet conform to the contour of the inner surface of the wall of shell 11. A handle 24 mounted to the panel 22 and extending outwardly therefrom is provided so that the user may slide the panel to the desired degree across the vent 23 and thus completely close the vent or partially close the vent to the selected amount. When the user desires to dry her fingernails, the handle 24 is manipulated to move the panel 22 the desired amount and air leaving the compartment through the vent 23 is blown out so as to dry fingernails held adjacent thereto in those situations where enamel, polish or other material has been applied to fingernails and drying is required.

Carried by the plate 18 and in the passageway transversed by the stream of blown air is an electric resistance heating element 26. The bulk of the blown air moving toward the outlet 13 may be heated by the element 26 upon energization thereof. A portion of the air by-passed through the slot 15 into the compartment and hence out of the vent 23 comes in contact with a small portion of the heater 26 so as to be somewhat warmed by the heater 26 'but not to the same high degree as the main stream of air being blown out through the outlet 13 and from there to the head of the user. The arrows in the figures of the drawings generally indicate the flow of air in the housing, through the outlet, through the compartment, and through the fingernail drying vent 23.

To provide ready and convenient means for carrying the dryer, there is provided at the opposite end of the housing a handle strap 31. This handle strap 31 is preferably made of a semi-rigid material having sutficient resiliency to be able to move from the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 2 to the position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2. When in the extended position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2, the strap 31 may be seized as a handle for the carrying of the dryer. When desired, the strap 31 may be retracted into the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 2.

The strap 31 has a rectangular slit 31A formed therein at one end and a rectangular slit 31B formed therein at its opposite end. The plate 18 adjacent the strap 31 has formed therein an ear 18A and an ear 18B, which are formed by bending up terminal pieces integral with the plate 18. Ear 18A fits within the slit 31A in the strap 31 and ear 18B fits within the slot 31B of the strap 31. The size of the slits is larger than the cross-sectional area of the cars so that the strap may be moved to position the cars at one extreme end of the slits, such as when the strap is in the position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2, and so that the ears are positioned at the opposite extreme ends of the slits, such as when the strap is in the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 2. Thus the ears 18A and 13B in the respective slits provide anchors for securing the strap to the housing and at the same time permit the strap to be moved between its retracted position and its extended position.

The top shell has a depending wall 27 extending downwardly therefrom to meet the plate 18 near the outlet 13 so as to close off the upper section of the housing from the outside of the housing immediately above the outlet 13. Thus there is a recess or cove formed in the end of the housing where a conduit or hose may be extended to be connected to the outlet 13.

By the arrangement described and illustrated, a compact, efficient and economical dryer is provided which may be utilized both for hair drying and for fingernail drying, as desired.

The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims, as well as that of the foregoing description.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by Way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A drying device for hair and fingernails comprising the combination of a lower shell, an upper shell joined to the lower shell to form a hollow enclosure, a supporting plate carried by the lower shell and positioned to divide the enclosure into upper and lower sections, an electric motor carried by the plate and extending into the upper section, a rotary fan carried by the plate and extending into the lower section, said lower shell having an outlet adapted to engage an air hose for conduction of air therefrom for the drying of hair, said upper shell having inlet means for the ingress of air into the enclosure, said plate having a central opening to permit air from said inlet means to be drawn by the rotary fan through said central opening into the lower section of the enclosure, said lower shell having a convolute confining wall cooperating with said rotary fan for the driving of air drawn into said lower section to said outlet, an electric resistance heating element carried by said plate and extending into the lower section adjacent said outlet for heating air driven by the rotary fan prior to its egress from said outlet, a compartment in the enclosure formed by cooperating portions of said shells and plate at a location adjacent the periphery of the joined shells, said compartment having an opening into the lower section for the leaking of driven air in the lower section into said compartment before reaching said outlet, said compartment having an exit for the egress of said driven air exteriorly of said joined shells for the drying of fingernails, said joined shells at said exit having portions forming a slideway, and a closure slidable in said slideway for closing and opening said exit as desired.

2. A dryer having a housing formed of joined upper and lower shells, a supporting plate carried by the lower shell, an electric motor, fan, and electric heater carried by the plate for supplying blown heated air to an outlet, said housing having arcuate walls on opposite sides thereof, the housing at one of said opposite sides having an arcuate opening, diverting means in the housing for diverting blown air to said arcuate opening from the housing before reaching said outlet, an arcuate panel slidable to close to selected degree the said arcuate opening, arcuate guide means carried by the housing adjacent the arcuate opening for guiding the sliding movement of said panel relative to said arcuate opening, the housing at the other of said opposite sides having an arcuate wall offset inwardly from the adjacent wall of the housing, said housing at the opposite ends of said arcuate wall having slits, respectively, opening to within said housing, a flexible handle strap having opposite end portions extending through said slits, said opposite end portions of the strap having elongated openings therein, respectively, said plate in said housing having a pair of tongues extending through a said elongated opening in the strap and into a respective slit in the housing to anchor each end of the strap to the housing, said elongated opening being larger than the respective tongues to permit limited movement of the strap relative to the housing before engagement of the strap with said tongues, said strap being positionable at a distance therefrom to serve as a handle for the housing upon the tongues in said elongated openings engaging and anchoring said strap against further movement away from the housing.

3. A dryer comprising the combination of, a housing composed of a lower shell and upper shell joined to enclose a chamber, a plate carried by the lower shell and dividing the chamber in two sections, an electric motor carried by the plate in the upper section, a rotary fan powered by the motor carried by the plate in the lower section for blowing air, air inlet means extending through the upper shell for admitting air into the upper section, air outlet means extending through the lower shell for exhausting blown air therefrom, said plate having an opening to permit air to flow from the upper section to the lower section, electric resistance heating means carried by said plate in the lower section for heating blown air before exhaustion through the outlet means, a compartment in said housing formed by portions of said shells and plate, vent means, for venting some of said blown air 3,272,966 5 6 from said lower section before reaching said outlet means 1,736,640 11/ 1929 Waterer. into said compartment, exit means through the housing 2,014,507 9/1935 Price. for permitting blown air in said compartment to escape 2,093,306 9/ 1937 Carson. therefrom, and movable closure means for closing said 2 277 370 3 1942 M h f 155 12 X exit means to selected degree. 5 3,095,496 6/ 1963 Omohundro 219-366 References Cited by the Examiner RICHARD M WOOD P E UNITED STATES PATENTS rmary xamme" 981,641 1/ 1911 Halliwell 219- 366 ANTHONY BARTIS, Examiner.

1,149,634 8/1915 Crigler 16-115X 10 

1. A DRYING DEVICE FOR HAIR AND FINGERNAILS COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A LOWER SHELL, AN UPPER SHELL JOINED TO THE LOWER SHELL TO FORM A HOLLOW ENCLOSURE, A SUPPORTING PLATE CARRIED BY THE LOWER SHELL AND POSITIONED TO DIVIDE THE ENCLOSURE INTO UPPER AND LOWER SECTIONS, AN ELECTRIC MOTOR CARRIED BY THE PLATE AND EXTENDING INTO THE UPPER SECTION, A ROTARY FAN CARRIED BY THE PLATE AND EXTENDING INTO THE LOWER SECTION, SAID LOWER SHELL HAVING AN OUTLET ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AN AIR HOSE FOR CONDUCTION OF AIR THEREFROM FOR THE DRYING OF HAIR, SAID UPPER SHELL HAVING INLET MEANS FOR THE INGRESS OF AIR INTO THE ENCLOSURE, SAID PLATE HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING TO PERMIT AIR FROM SAID INLET MEANS TO BE DRAWN BY THE ROTARY FAN THROUGH SAID CENTRAL OPENING INTO THE LOWER SECTION OF THE ENCLOSURE, SAID LOWER SHELL HAVING A CONVOLUTE CONFINING WALL COOPERATING WITH SAID ROTARY FAN FOR THE DRIVING OF AIR DRAWN INTO SAID LOWER SECTION TO SAID OUTLET, AN ELECTRIC RESISTANCE HEATING ELEMENT CARRIED BY SAID PLATE AND EXTENDING INTO THE LOWER SECTION ADJACENT SAID OUTLET FOR HEATING AIR DRIVEN BY THE ROTARY FAN PRIOR TO ITS EGRESS FROM SAID OUTLET, A COMPARTMENT IN THE ENCLOSURE FORMED BY COOPERATING PORTIONS OF SAID SHELLS AND PLATE AT A LOCATION ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY OF THE JOINED SHELLS, SAID COMPARTMENT HAVING AN OPENING INTO THE LOWER SECTION FOR THE LEAKING OF DRIVEN AIR IN THE LOWER SECTION INTO SAID COMPARTMENT BEFORE REACHING SAID OUTLET, SAID COMPARTMENT HAVING AN EXIT FOR THE EGRESS OF SAID DRIVEN AIR EXTERIORLY OF SAID JOINED SHELLS FOR THE DRYING OF FINGERNAILS, SAID JOINED SHELLS AT SAID EXIT HAVING PORTIONS FORMING A SLIDEWAY, AND A CLOSURE SLIDABLE IN SAID SLIDEWAY FOR CLOSING AND OPENING SAID EXIT AS DESIRED. 